IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RO WATER & DISTILLED WATER

[want2beagrower]

Hello everyone :thumbsup: i'm newbe 2 this fourm & i hope this is in the right fourm 4 this question but i been doin a lot of reading & finding a lot bout growing , methods , systems ect... i was wondering is there a difference between ro water & distilled water ? if so , what r they ? i've grown before with little sucess but i plan on trying again but this time i want 2 do it right & i've read a lot bout ro water systems but they r pricey & was wondering if u could get the same results using distilled water ? thanks 4 any help that could be given on the thread :thumbsup: want2beagrower :jointsmile:

[stinkyattic]

Over time, you spend MORE on bottled distilled water. Remember you will need like 5-40 gallons every time you change your res (every 2-4 weeks) depending on res size etc. That's big bucks right there.

Distilled water has a much higher level of atmospheric contaminants, such as carbonic, nitric, and sulfuric acid, similar to rain water. RO is technically deionized if the machine is working right.

I'm running a hydro system at the moment on city tap water and canna nutes, which are super forgiving to water quality- that's another thought- get your tap water tested for EC at the hydro shop and if it comes up fairly low you can probably use it.

[want2beagrower]

thank's stinky 4 the advice :thumbsup: in the long run it will be cheaper 2 get a ro system but the setup i'm thinking of using is deffdrummer's 5gal drip / dwc system with latewood's recipe with a twist ( instead of cal-mag plus , i was going 2 use AN SENSI CAL MG GROW / BLOOM & instead of liuid karma was thinking of using AN B-52 which is stated i can use in the thread ; i was also thinking of using big bud & hammerhead & of course final phase ) . until i've perfected my own recipe i was thinking of using distilled water ( work in a lab where distilled water is pretty much free , as i could use the excuse that i'm working at home on work projects ) 4 this grow . buying the nutes , better materials 4 growroom , beans , testers i'm tryin 2 keep costs down 4 this grow but i want2 do it rightso i can get a better harvest than last time . sorry 2 ramble have a habbit of that when i've smoked one 2 many lol :jointsmile: but 4 this grow i'm left with distilled water as my only option as my tap water is well water ( 2 hard !!!) so do u think i'll be alright with it ? read alot of threads in here & u stinky know ur stuff girl :thumbsup: want2beagrower :jointsmile:

[stinkyattic]

Word, you're a lab rat too?
Hard water is going to cause troubles, so yeah you are better off with distilled for now, and 5gal isn't TOO bad. If you run a dehumidifier, those produce 'distilled' water too FYI! Just make sure it's not loaded with metals- check the EC on it.
I don't know nute schedules off hand, sorry, but definitely go easy on supplements until you have your base system running perfect. That is my advice for the day! :jointsmile: Have one for me; I'm crunching GC data this morning and need my brain less cloudy, although TBH I think a bit of smoke would do me good! lol

[want2beagrower]

thank's stinky :thumbsup: will do :jointsmile: i'll smoke 2 for u , i know how crunching data can be :jointsmile::jointsmile: it's a real PITA !!!! hopeful i will get rid of my brown thumb :( & get a green one :thumbsup: these fourms 2 great ! :jointsmile: want2beagrower